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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 120 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: object · wax · scale · rock · file · coach · fan · drill

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. scale — in music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. object — a thing
  12. wax — to grow
  13. drill — army training
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a document
  18. drill — the tool
  19. file — a tool
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wax — for sculpting

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