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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: rock · ball · fall · prune · pound · scale · roll · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — a stone
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rock — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. snap — to click
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — in music
  23. fall — the season
  24. roll — a cake

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