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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: scale · wake · squash · chair · mine · jam · wax · key

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. scale — in music
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wax — to grow
  9. key — for a lock
  10. scale — size or range
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. key — in music
  24. wake — a trail

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