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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.

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: deal · bass · scale · chest · stem · mine · row · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bass — low music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stem — to come from
  9. scale — in music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chest — a box
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — a line
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. chest — of your body

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