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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · file · bass · degree · root · scale · swing · lash

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. scale — size or range
  5. swing — to play on
  6. root — the cause
  7. file — a tool
  8. swing — music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. root — of a plant
  13. file — a line of people
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bass — low music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. scale — in music
  21. root — of a word
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. file — a document

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