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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: straw · chest · ball · scale · trunk · wax · squash · lean

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. ball — a great time
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lean — to bend
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a dance
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chest — a box
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. squash — the sport

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