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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: snap · scale · stock · cell · prune · dip · swing · drill

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. prune — to trim
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. swing — in golf
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. drill — a practice
  10. dip — to sink
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cell — a phone
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. swing — music
  17. drill — army training
  18. scale — in music
  19. stock — goods
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. snap — to click
  22. scale — size or range
  23. drill — the tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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