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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: bowl · scale · pit · rock · stem · swing · spring · suit

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stem — to come from
  9. suit — clothes
  10. scale — in music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spring — the season
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pit — in a race
  17. spring — of water
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pit — a hole
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. swing — music
  24. suit — to fit

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