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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: scale · pop · pound · mate · bear · stick · trunk · kick

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mate — a friend
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mate — a partner
  18. kick — in football
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. scale — in music
  24. pound — for dogs

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