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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: mouse · firm · nail · coach · wound · land · swing · scale

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. scale — in music
  7. land — a country
  8. swing — in golf
  9. land — to come down
  10. firm — a company
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. land — ground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. firm — decided
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. swing — music
  22. firm — steady
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mouse — the animal

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