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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: staff · ball · swing · plane · season · press · scale · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ball — a great time
  3. press — a publisher
  4. swing — music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. staff — a stick
  7. season — of the year
  8. ball — a dance
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. staff — employees
  11. press — to push
  12. staff — employees
  13. scale — in music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. season — in sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. swing — in golf
  19. plane — a tool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ball — a round shape

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