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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · bass · branch · scale · coach · cabinet · pass · kid

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — for dancing
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — to tease
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kid — child
  11. scale — in music
  12. branch — a division
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. club — for golf
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. scale — size or range
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pass — a permit
  22. club — a group
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — low music

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