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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.

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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: tube · wax · bat · current · foot · swing · lean · scale

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. foot — a measure
  3. swing — to play on
  4. current — of water
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. current — happening now
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lean — thin
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. tube — a container
  16. wax — to grow
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. current — electric
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. swing — music
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bat — the animal
  24. scale — for weighing

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