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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: scale · prune · racket · firm · chest · swing · cue · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cue — a hint
  3. prune — to trim
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. chest — a box
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cue — a signal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. scale — in music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. prune — to trim
  18. swing — music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. swing — to play on
  22. band — a music group
  23. cue — for pool
  24. firm — steady

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