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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.

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: pitcher · current · bound · present · wax · plane · scale · chest

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. scale — in music
  7. present — there
  8. wax — to grow
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. present — the time now
  11. chest — of your body
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. plane — a tool
  15. current — of water
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — certain
  18. current — electric
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. scale — size or range
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chest — a box
  24. current — happening now

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