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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. scale — in music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. scale — size or range
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. root — of a word
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. root — the cause
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. straw — a straw man

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