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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: swing · cell · shower · net · cap · lash · scale · track

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — a song
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cap — a hat
  7. net — for catching
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. net — in sport
  10. swing — to play on
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cell — a phone
  15. swing — in golf
  16. shower — rain
  17. net — after costs
  18. cell — in biology
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. track — a path
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. scale — in music

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