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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 116 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: prune · scale · ball · march · staff · wax · swing · season

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. march — the month
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wax — to grow
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. season — of the year
  14. swing — in golf
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a dance
  20. swing — music
  21. march — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — in sport

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