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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: object · ball · spell · scale · tear · hand · wax · deal

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. spell — letters
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wax — to grow
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. object — to protest
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — help
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tear — to rip
  20. spell — magic
  21. scale — in music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. object — an aim
  24. ball — a great time

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