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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: swing · vault · lean · root · file · mug · scale · clip

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. root — of a plant
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. swing — in golf
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mug — to rob
  9. scale — size or range
  10. clip — to cut
  11. swing — music
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — thin
  14. mug — a face
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. root — of a word
  17. file — a document
  18. mug — a cup
  19. vault — a safe
  20. scale — in music
  21. root — the cause
  22. file — a line of people
  23. swing — to play on
  24. file — a tool

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