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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: march · net · snap · key · wave · ruler · wax · scale

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — in sport
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. march — the month
  6. net — for catching
  7. key — in music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. key — the most important part
  10. snap — to click
  11. net — after costs
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. march — music
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. key — for a lock
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ruler — a monarch

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