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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: scale · can · coach · fall · cold · wind · roll · pit

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fall — the season
  6. roll — a list
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — in music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pit — in a race
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. roll — on a roll

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