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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.

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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: capital · scale · rush · swing · spring · squash · mouse · mate

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — a friend
  4. squash — the sport
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rush — hurry
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spring — a coil
  10. squash — to crush
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — the season
  16. capital — money
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spring — of water
  21. scale — in music
  22. capital — a city
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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