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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spell · band · mine · lash · content · toast · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. toast — bread
  5. scale — in music
  6. content — the amount
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a ring
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spell — magic
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. band — a music group
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spell — letters
  20. content — happy
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. coach — a trainer

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