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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 · press · season · band · bore · file · can · scale

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. press — to push
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. band — a ring
  10. can — a tin
  11. swing — in golf
  12. season — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. press — newspapers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. swing — to play on
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. file — a document
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. press — a publisher

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