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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.

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 · wax · wound · temple · bass · mark · cell · drill

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cell — in biology
  12. drill — army training
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a trace
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. scale — for weighing

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