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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: snap · temple · kick · swing · band · prune · racket · cabinet

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. swing — music
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kick — in football
  20. band — a music group
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. prune — to trim
  24. band — a ring

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