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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: row · bulb · scale · snap · coach · wax · last · deal

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. scale — in music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. last — final
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — for light
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wax — to grow
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to click
  18. deal — to handle
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bulb — for light
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. last — to go on

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