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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: lash · scale · foot · mate · wax · root · bat · mouse

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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 — for sculpting
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. root — of a word
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. scale — in music
  17. root — the cause
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. scale — size or range
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mate — a friend
  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