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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: content · shower · rush · pop · snap · scale · mine · wax

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. scale — in music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. snap — to click
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wax — to grow
  12. content — the amount
  13. shower — rain
  14. content — happy
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. scale — size or range

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