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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: scale · wax · wind · wave · stand · mug · hand · bark

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hand — help
  10. scale — in music
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mug — a face
  24. hand — in cards

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