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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: bark · rush · pop · spring · last · arm · can · fan

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. last — final
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spring — of water
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — to go on
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pop — music
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spring — the season
  24. arm — part of the body

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