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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: scale · season · club · wind · deal · rush · wax · bulb

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. scale — in music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rush — hurry
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — in sport
  17. club — for golf
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. deal — to handle
  22. season — of the year
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wax — to grow

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