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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: mug · scale · swing · rash · field · staff · pound · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pound — a weight
  5. saw — the tool
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mug — a cup
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. staff — a stick
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. scale — in music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mug — a face
  23. staff — employees
  24. swing — to play 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