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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: wax · cap · last · staff · nail · scale · tear · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. last — final
  7. staff — employees
  8. scale — in music
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. staff — a stick
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pop — soda
  13. scale — size or range
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. staff — employees
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. last — finally

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