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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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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: date · scale · pop · kid · fall · mug · lash · fork

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mug — a face
  6. pop — to visit
  7. date — the fruit
  8. scale — in music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mug — a cup
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mug — to rob
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fall — to drop
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pop — music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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