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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: present · scale · wax · pound · cell · staff · kick · mug

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. present — there
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. kick — in football
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — a gift
  15. mug — a cup
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. present — the time now
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. scale — in music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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