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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: ground · land · scale · bass · chair · coach · cap · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. land — to come down
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bass — the fish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chair — a leader
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — low music
  16. land — ground
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — a position
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. land — a country
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ground — crushed
  24. saw — the tool

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