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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
468
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: leaves · track · capital · scale · bass · club · wax · chest

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chest — a box
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bass — low music
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. club — a group
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — a city
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. club — for golf
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. track — a path
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. capital — money
  22. wax — to grow
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. capital — a big letter

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