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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 120 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: pitcher · race · wax · scale · chair · straw · key · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. scale — in music
  5. key — in music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. race — a contest
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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