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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: vault · swing · wax · spell · scale · jam · racket · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. scale — size or range
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — in cards
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — help
  11. spell — magic
  12. swing — in golf
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spell — letters
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. scale — in music
  22. vault — a safe
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. swing — 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