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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: net · scale · pitcher · toast · lean · tube · coach · current

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. tube — a container
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — after costs
  11. current — electric
  12. lean — to bend
  13. current — happening now
  14. scale — in music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. current — of water
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. net — for catching
  21. lean — thin
  22. net — in sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. toast — bread

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