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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: tear · file · pitch · scale · wax · saw · pop · stick

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a tool
  3. scale — in music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. file — a line of people
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. file — a document
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. tear — from crying
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tear — to rip
  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