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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 · kid · cap · hide · wax · board · fan · scale

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cap — a lid
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kid — child
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wax — to grow
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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