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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: bear · stick · bank · sharp · wax · game · cell · scale

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — clever
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wax — to grow
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. scale — in music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. game — a match
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. sharp — exactly

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