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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: bear · fall · bass · chest · club · coach · saw · staff

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. club — a group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. staff — employees
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. staff — a stick
  11. club — for golf
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bass — low music
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bear — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fall — the season
  24. staff — employees

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