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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: scale · race · toast · cabinet · wax · pop · bulb · prune

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — for light
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pop — soda
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pop — to visit
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wax — to grow
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pop — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. toast — bread

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