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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: deal · shower · scale · mate · club · wax · craft · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. scale — in music
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. scale — size or range
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mate — to breed
  11. craft — boats
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — to wash
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wax — to grow
  18. shower — rain
  19. mate — a friend
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mate — a partner
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. craft — a skill

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