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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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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: roll · key · kick · bat · scale · prune · hand · bore

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — to tire
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — the animal
  7. kick — in football
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. roll — a list
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bore — to drill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hand — in cards
  21. scale — in music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. roll — a cake
  24. kick — with a leg

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