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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: bat · tube · scale · swing · staff · lean · date · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. swing — to play on
  6. date — the fruit
  7. scale — size or range
  8. staff — employees
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bat — the animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. swing — music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. tube — the underground
  19. swing — in golf
  20. staff — a stick
  21. scale — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. date — on the calendar

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