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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 · fork · bank · cabinet · wax · racket · tube · cold

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — in a road
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — to grow
  6. scale — in music
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bank — for money
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tube — a container
  12. cold — not warm
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cold — an illness
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bank — for money
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tube — the underground
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — in the ear

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