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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: vault · roll · scale · cabinet · swing · wind · straw · pitcher

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. roll — a list
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — 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