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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: coach · wound · mark · hide · fall · press · scale · pitcher

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mark — a grade
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mark — a trace
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fall — the season
  13. scale — in music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — an injury
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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