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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: ball · season · spell · prune · hand · stand · scale · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stand — to bear
  3. swing — music
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hand — in cards
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spell — magic
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ball — a great time
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hand — help
  14. prune — to trim
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. swing — to play on

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