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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 124 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.

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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: trunk · roll · pitcher · bowl · hide · wake · date · pop

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pop — to visit
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pop — soda
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pop — music

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