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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: pit · clip · season · stem · bowl · toast · wax · scale

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. toast — bread
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. scale — in music
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stem — of a plant

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