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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: march · swing · lean · scale · suit · cap · mine · roll

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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 — to play on
  2. cap — a lid
  3. march — music
  4. swing — music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. scale — size or range
  7. roll — a list
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. swing — in golf
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. march — the month
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cap — a hat
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. suit — to fit
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lean — thin
  21. cap — of ice
  22. march — the month
  23. suit — clothes
  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