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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — in music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mine — for digging
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bass — low music
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — the fish
  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