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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: fan · staff · stock · scale · swing · lash · rule · band

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stock — goods
  11. band — a ring
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — shares
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. band — a music group
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. swing — music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rule — a law
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — in music
  24. fan — to cool the air

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