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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · pop · season · bark · bowl · chip · bass · rock

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. season — of the year
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pop — soda
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bass — low music
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. season — in sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com