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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · tube · swing · march · scale · lean · chair · kick

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. scale — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tube — a container
  19. swing — music
  20. march — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — a position
  24. chair — to sit on

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