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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 116 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: present · cell · scale · mate · cabinet · row · ball · wax

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mate — a partner
  7. scale — in music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. present — a gift
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — a friend
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. row — a line
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. row — a quarrel

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