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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 116 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 · coach · vault · root · hand · pitcher · bass · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the fish
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. root — of a word
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. scale — in music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — of a plant
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hand — in cards
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. root — the cause
  21. bass — low music
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the instrument
  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