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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: chair · bark · bass · cell · scale · bay · coach · clip

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. clip — a video
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. scale — in music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. scale — size or range

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