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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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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: straw · kick · rock · mine · kid · bulb · prune · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. kid — child
  6. rock — a stone
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rock — music
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — for digging
  24. scale — size or range

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