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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · bear · chair · scale · net · trunk · spring · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. scale — size or range
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bass — the fish
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. scale — in music
  9. net — in sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. toast — bread
  21. bass — low music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chair — a professorship

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