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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bank — for money
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. scale — size or range
  6. swing — to play on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. shower — to wash
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. degree — temperature
  13. snap — to click
  14. scale — in music
  15. swing — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. shower — rain
  22. swing — in golf
  23. degree — an amount
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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