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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · lie · bore · bowl · row · wax · bank · clip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bore — to tire
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — of a river
  8. row — a line
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — a video
  16. bank — for money
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bank — for money
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — to recline
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. scale — in music

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