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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. scale — in music
  5. shower — rain
  6. key — in music
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. land — to come down
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — ground
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. squash — to crush
  20. key — the most important part
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wax — to grow
  23. land — a country
  24. lean — to bend

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