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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: cap · rash · track · wax · perch · bear · scale · stick

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cap — a hat
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. track — a song
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bear — the animal
  19. track — a path
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rash — hasty

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