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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: plane · band · scale · fall · bass · swing · mug · staff

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mug — a cup
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. band — a ring
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mug — to rob
  7. scale — size or range
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — low music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — a tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. mug — a face
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — music
  24. scale — in music

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