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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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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: bound · bark · cue · roll · pop · face · stick · fan

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cue — for pool
  3. roll — a list
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pop — soda
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bound — certain
  14. pop — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cue — a hint
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bound — obliged
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. cue — a signal

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