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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 116 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: bulb · dip · firm · pit · wax · scale · hand · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. firm — decided
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. hand — help
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. hand — in cards
  10. firm — steady
  11. pit — in a race
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — to grow
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pit — a hole
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. scale — in music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bulb — for light
  22. firm — a company
  23. bulb — for light
  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