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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: wind · coach · bass · toast · cell · scale · roll · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. capital — money
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. toast — bread
  10. bass — the fish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. scale — in music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. roll — a cake
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bass — low music
  21. capital — a city
  22. roll — a list
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wind — moving air

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