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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: pop · perch · snap · staff · track · row · rush · rock

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. track — to keep track
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rock — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — a line
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. staff — employees
  20. row — to paddle
  21. track — a song
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a path
  24. staff — a stick

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