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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 120 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: wax · root · hide · cold · cue · chest · scale · rock

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cold — not warm
  3. root — of a plant
  4. scale — in music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — music
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rock — a stone
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cold — an illness
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cue — a hint
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chest — a box
  24. root — of a word

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