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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: prune · snap · kick · scale · bowl · rock · bay · nail

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rock — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. scale — in music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to click
  23. kick — in football
  24. bowl — to roll

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