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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. scale — in music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. season — in sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — to grow
  16. kid — child
  17. season — of the year
  18. bank — for money
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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