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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 120 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: fall · track · land · can · scale · fork · spell · swing

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fall — the season
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spell — magic
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a song
  14. land — ground
  15. spell — a short time
  16. track — a path
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. spell — letters
  20. swing — to play on
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — 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