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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 120 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: scale · bay · game · wax · season · branch · root · chest

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. branch — a division
  9. root — of a plant
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — size or range
  12. season — of the year
  13. root — of a word
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chest — a box
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. game — a match
  22. season — in sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. chest — of your body

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