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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: drill · wave · fall · cue · fan · scale · wax · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. sharp — clever
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cue — a hint
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. drill — army training
  24. fan — a supporter

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