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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 · band · prune · mug · fork · shower · last

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. band — a ring
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fork — in a road
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — finally
  11. mug — a face
  12. band — a music group
  13. scale — size or range
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. shower — rain
  18. prune — to trim
  19. scale — in music
  20. snap — to click
  21. mug — to rob
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mug — a cup
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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