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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: row · foot · club · roll · spring · coach · scale · saw

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. club — for golf
  3. scale — size or range
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. scale — in music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. roll — a list
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spring — a coil
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. club — for dancing
  15. roll — a cake
  16. row — to paddle
  17. spring — of water
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spring — the season
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. saw — the tool

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