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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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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: cabinet · fall · chair · scale · wake · track · wax · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fall — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. object — a thing
  12. track — a path
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — size or range
  15. object — an aim
  16. wake — a trail
  17. scale — in music
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — a song
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fall — to drop

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