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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 120 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: scale · net · wound · coach · racket · craft · object · staff

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. staff — a stick
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. object — to protest
  6. scale — in music
  7. object — an aim
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. craft — a skill
  17. staff — employees
  18. object — a thing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — in sport
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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