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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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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — electric
  10. court — of a king
  11. fall — the season
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — crushed
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. branch — a division

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