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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: scale · swing · stem · season · racket · last · pound · shower

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stem — to come from
  3. scale — in music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pound — a weight
  8. shower — rain
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. shower — to wash
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — final
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. swing — music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — finally
  22. swing — in golf
  23. last — to go on
  24. season — of the year

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