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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 116 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.

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: cold · wax · saw · mouse · row · pitch · scale · fine

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. row — a line
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fine — high quality
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fine — all right
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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