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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: scale · present · prune · rash · hand · swing · racket · rock

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. swing — to play on
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rock — a stone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. hand — in cards
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — there
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. hand — help
  14. present — a gift
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rock — music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. swing — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. scale — in music
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. present — the time now

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