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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: scale · face · race · game · wax · wave · row · jam

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. race — a contest
  4. game — wild animals
  5. row — to paddle
  6. face — part of the head
  7. race — the arms race
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. game — a match
  10. race — humankind
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — a line
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. face — to confront
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. face — to point toward
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wave — with your hand

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