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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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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: sharp · rash · ground · prune · kick · wind · scale · pound

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ground — a position
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rash — a series
  10. kick — in football
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rash — hasty
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — to trim
  18. scale — in music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wind — moving air

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