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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 120 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: spring · branch · patient · swing · file · ball · scale · prune

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spring — a coil
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. file — a line of people
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — in music
  9. file — a tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spring — of water
  12. swing — to play on
  13. file — a document
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. branch — a division
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — in golf
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spring — the season
  24. ball — a great time

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