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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.

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: board · season · file · scale · fine · present · key · wax

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. board — a committee
  5. season — in sport
  6. key — for a lock
  7. scale — in music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. key — in music
  10. present — there
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a document
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fine — all right
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. board — to get on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. scale — size or range
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. present — the time now

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