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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · scale · cap · bass · cell · fall · fine · spell

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fine — all right
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fall — the season
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. spell — letters
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bass — the fish
  22. scale — in music
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — in the ear

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