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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · wax · mark · firm · bound · content · mine · drill

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mark — a trace
  3. scale — in music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. firm — steady
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bound — tied together
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. drill — army training
  12. firm — a company
  13. bound — obliged
  14. content — happy
  15. mark — a grade
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. content — the amount
  22. firm — decided
  23. drill — a practice
  24. content — videos and posts

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