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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: foot · tube · coach · wound · scale · stock · bulb · rock

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. scale — in music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. foot — a measure
  6. stock — shares
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rock — a stone
  14. scale — size or range
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rock — music
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stock — goods
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — a container
  24. foot — the bottom

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