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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: ball · saw · mine · scale · tube · pit · squash · wax

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. ball — a great time
  3. tube — a container
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — the tool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wax — to grow
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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