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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: pop · stick · object · bark · bass · bowl · tear · perch

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pop — to visit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tear — to rip
  8. object — an aim
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. tear — from crying
  12. object — to protest
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. object — a thing
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bass — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — low music
  23. pop — music
  24. perch — the fish

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