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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: wind · coach · bore · pitcher · ground · scale · court · perch

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bore — to drill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. scale — in music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ground — a position
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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