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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.

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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: foot · pop · sharp · band · wake · tube · perch · ground

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ground — crushed
  10. tube — a container
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ground — a position
  14. tube — the underground
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. band — a music group
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pop — music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a ring
  23. foot — a measure
  24. band — a rubber band

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