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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mug · swing · march · fan · scale · wax · season · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — the month
  4. season — of the year
  5. swing — to play on
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mug — a face
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. march — music
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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