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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 120 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: band · swing · fan · scale · squash · trunk · ball · ground

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ball — a dance
  4. swing — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ball — a great time
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. scale — in music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. squash — the sport
  14. band — a music group
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a ring
  20. swing — to play on
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. ground — the earth
  24. scale — size or range

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