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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.

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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 · tube · hide · wax · wake · wave · sharp · stem

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. sharp — clever
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. tube — a container
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wave — with your hand

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