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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: band · trunk · ground · wax · scale · cue · pitcher · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ground — a position
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rock — music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. band — a music group
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ground — crushed
  14. scale — in music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cue — for pool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cue — a hint
  23. band — a ring
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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