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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · snap · plane · calf · prune · row · ball · scale

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. snap — to click
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. row — a line
  16. band — a music group
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. scale — size or range
  23. plane — a tool
  24. scale — in music

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