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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 · roll · scale · patient · ball · degree · wax · staff

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — to grow
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. swing — music
  6. scale — in music
  7. roll — a list
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a dance
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — from a university
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ball — a great time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. staff — a stick
  24. swing — in golf

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