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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: pop · snap · scale · spring · calf · prune · bay · rush

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. snap — to click
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. spring — the season
  4. pop — music
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. scale — size or range
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pop — soda
  19. spring — of water
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rush — hurry
  23. prune — the fruit
  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