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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
468
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: staff · can · swing · wake · rash · scale · wind · key

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. can — to be able to
  5. staff — a stick
  6. swing — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. key — the most important part
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. key — for a lock
  14. swing — in golf
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wake — a trail
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — a series
  20. swing — to play on
  21. key — in music
  22. scale — in music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rash — on the skin

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