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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 116 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: wind · cap · last · scale · swing · lash · deal · stem

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. deal — to handle
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. swing — music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. last — finally
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cap — a lid
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. last — to go on
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — final
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. scale — in music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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