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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · pop · sharp · cue · hand · bark · mug · bowl

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pop — music
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. spring — the season
  18. pop — soda
  19. cue — a signal
  20. hand — help
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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