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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: scale · club · nail · rush · prune · stock · kick · coach

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — for golf
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — size or range
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. club — a group
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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