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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: bank · prune · snap · chest · kick · scale · ground · swing

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — size or range
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bank — of a river
  11. snap — to click
  12. prune — to trim
  13. swing — music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. scale — in music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. swing — to play on
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. kick — in football
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bank — for money

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