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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: kid · coach · tube · scale · can · sharp · cue · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bass — the fish
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cue — for pool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — child
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. can — a tin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tube — a container
  18. can — to be able to
  19. sharp — clever
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. scale — in 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