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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 · prune · bay · scale · toast · calf · clip · cue

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. toast — bread
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cue — a signal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — to cut
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. swing — in golf
  19. clip — a video
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. swing — music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. scale — for weighing

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