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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 120 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
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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: scale · rock · sharp · net · arm · spring · coach · content

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. scale — size or range
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. content — the amount
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — of water
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. scale — in music
  22. content — happy
  23. spring — the season
  24. net — after costs

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