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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: lean · spring · mug · rest · bowl · club · wake · pop

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pop — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lean — thin
  7. rest — a break
  8. spring — of water
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spring — the season
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — a group
  14. pop — soda
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lean — to bend
  17. club — for golf
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mug — a face
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rest — what's left

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