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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: wave · rock · stick · pop · roll · fork · spring · bank

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pop — music
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bank — for money
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pop — soda
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. roll — a list
  13. rock — music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spring — the season
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pop — to visit
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wave — with your hand

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