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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.

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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: chest · wake · scale · spring · swing · spell · deal · staff

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. spell — a short time
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. spell — magic
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spring — a coil
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spell — letters
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chest — a box
  17. staff — employees
  18. chest — of your body
  19. scale — in music
  20. spring — the season
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — of water
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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