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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: can · scale · wax · saw · straw · game · pitcher · race

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. can — a tin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. race — humankind
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wax — to grow
  12. scale — in music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. race — a contest
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — the arms race

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