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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: leaves · cell · wax · scale · chair · prune · roll · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. scale — in music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cell — a phone
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chair — a leader
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — wild animals
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cell — in biology
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — size or range
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wax — to grow
  24. prune — the fruit

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