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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: date · spring · scale · march · lie · rock · wax · dip

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. scale — in music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — of water
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lie — to recline
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. scale — size or range
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. scale — for weighing

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