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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: foot · scale · wax · bat · shower · face · pound · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. shower — to wash
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. face — to point toward
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pound — a weight
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. shower — rain
  11. face — to confront
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wax — to grow
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pop — soda
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. scale — in music
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — to visit

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