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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 116 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: firm · lean · wax · mate · scale · current · wound · saw

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. current — of water
  8. firm — steady
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. firm — decided
  12. current — happening now
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — to grow
  16. current — electric
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — an injury
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. firm — a company
  24. saw — the tool

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