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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 120 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: coach · row · bass · mine · kick · staff · craft · pop

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. staff — a stick
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pop — soda
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bass — the fish
  12. kick — in football
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. craft — boats
  22. bass — low music
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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