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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: nail · rush · rock · cue · scale · band · face · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rock — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — a stone
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wax — for sculpting

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