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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: wave · net · bowl · wax · field · track · cue · scale

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. field — for sport
  4. wax — to grow
  5. field — a subject
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cue — for pool
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a song
  10. field — farmland
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — in music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cue — a hint
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. net — after costs
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. track — a path
  24. scale — size or range

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