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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: row · ball · pop · snap · scale · date · calf · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. snap — to click
  3. bear — the animal
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ball — a dance
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pop — music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pop — to visit
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. row — to paddle
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bear — the animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pop — soda
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. scale — in music
  24. row — a line

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