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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
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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: scale · pop · bat · pitch · wax · wake · band · mouse

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pop — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitch — completely
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. band — a ring
  15. scale — in music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mouse — for a computer

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