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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: mug · bank · pop · land · scale · prune · snap · fork

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pop — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bank — for money
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mug — a face
  11. bank — for money
  12. snap — to click
  13. scale — size or range
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. land — a country
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mug — a cup
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pop — soda
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — to visit
  24. land — ground

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