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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 · bowl · lean · clip · swing · present · scale

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lean — thin
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. scale — in music
  6. swing — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. clip — to cut
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lean — to bend
  13. present — the time now
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. present — a gift
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — there
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bat — the animal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. scale — size or range

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