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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: wax · bat · scale · chip · saw · net · wind · pass

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. scale — in music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wind — moving air
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. net — in sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. saw — the tool

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