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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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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 · nail · wax · fork · race · cue · firm · chest

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chest — a box
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. firm — steady
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cue — for pool
  12. firm — decided
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cue — a hint
  18. scale — size or range
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. firm — a company
  21. scale — in music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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