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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 116 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: can · row · wound · pass · coach · court · scale · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wound — an injury
  4. can — to be able to
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. court — of a king
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. can — a tin
  15. scale — in music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fall — the season
  18. row — a line
  19. can — a tin
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pass — a permit

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