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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: fine · wax · wind · pit · squash · stick · scale · chair

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — size or range
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — in music
  16. fine — all right
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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