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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: kid · scale · game · wave · rock · ground · prune · branch

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ground — a position
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — a match
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — child
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ground — crushed
  9. scale — size or range
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rock — music
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. ground — the earth

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