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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: mine · board · squash · mate · scale · wax · wake · bank

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bank — for money
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mine — for digging
  10. squash — to crush
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. squash — the sport
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wake — a trail
  18. board — to get on
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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