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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · wax · mine · chip · bank · pass · object

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pass — a permit
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. object — an aim
  24. pass — to spend time

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