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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.

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: bass · coach · saw · tube · straw · root · pitch · scale

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. tube — the underground
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bass — the fish
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — in music
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. root — the cause
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bass — low music
  24. tube — a container

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