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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: cell · ground · scale · pound · snap · kid · craft · bank

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. scale — in music
  8. kid — child
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cell — in biology
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bank — for money
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. scale — size or range
  19. craft — boats
  20. ground — a position
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cell — a phone
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pound — a weight

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