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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kid · bear · scale · spell · pitcher · pit · wax · bass

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spell — magic
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — letters
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — child
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. scale — in music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wax — to grow
  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