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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 · staff · plane · object · row · wax · wound · rock

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wound — an injury
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rock — music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. staff — employees
  9. wax — to grow
  10. object — an aim
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. object — to protest
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. row — a line
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. object — a thing
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. scale — in music

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