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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: game · track · row · branch · coach · scale · kick · bass

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kick — in football
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bass — the fish
  10. track — a song
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. branch — a division
  14. bass — low music
  15. row — a line
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. row — to paddle
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. branch — of a tree

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