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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: wave · scale · prune · mate · roll · swing · sharp · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — a partner
  3. swing — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — a friend
  10. roll — a list
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. swing — in golf
  17. scale — size or range
  18. roll — a cake
  19. sharp — clever
  20. swing — to play on
  21. scale — in music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. roll — on a roll

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