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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: arm · wax · chair · tube · scale · lean · ball · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ball — a great time
  5. current — electric
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. scale — size or range
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. tube — a container
  15. scale — in music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lean — thin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. current — of water

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