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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 120 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: rash · straw · coach · scale · clip · tube · charge · wound

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. clip — to cut
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. scale — in music
  11. charge — electricity
  12. clip — a video
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. charge — a price
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tube — the underground
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — a series
  23. wound — an injury
  24. charge — in control

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