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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kid · stick · last · wax · game · roll · prune · scale

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. scale — in music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. last — finally
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — child
  14. game — a match
  15. last — final
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. last — to go on
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — to grow
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kid — to tease
  24. roll — a list

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