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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: dip · cue · present · ball · straw · roll · wax · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. present — the time now
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. present — a gift
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. roll — a list
  16. present — there
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. scale — in music
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. dip — to sink

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