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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.

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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: mark · file · wax · pitcher · mug · ball · scale · root

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. file — a tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. scale — in music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a document
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. root — of a plant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitcher — a jug

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