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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
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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: cabinet · row · swing · bank · race · scale · season · spell

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. swing — to play on
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. row — a line
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spell — letters
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spell — magic
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. scale — size or range
  21. spell — a short time
  22. row — to paddle
  23. swing — music
  24. scale — in 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