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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: date · calf · bark · cue · spring · pop · net · perch

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pop — soda
  3. bark — to shout
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — of water
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. perch — the fish
  14. net — in sport
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cue — for pool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pop — music
  24. date — on the calendar

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