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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: squash · hide · wax · patient · degree · scale · fine · content

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fine — all right
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — high quality
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. scale — size or range
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. degree — temperature
  19. content — happy
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — the amount
  23. scale — in music
  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