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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.

Words on the sheet
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: ground · wax · swing · scale · club · spring · track · plane

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. scale — in music
  3. swing — music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. scale — size or range
  7. plane — a tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ground — the earth
  12. swing — in golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ground — a position

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