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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: bank · shower · coach · season · foot · wind · scale · tube

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bank — of a river
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — in music
  10. season — in sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bank — for money
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — rain
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wind — moving air

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