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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.

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 · capital · sharp · foot · pop · temple · wax · wind

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wind — moving air
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pop — to visit
  6. foot — a measure
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pop — soda
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wax — to grow
  21. capital — a city
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — to turn a key

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