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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 120 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: net · wound · kick · snap · scale · stand · rock · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. scale — in music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. net — after costs
  6. rock — music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wound — an injury
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. snap — to click
  15. net — in sport
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. net — for catching
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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