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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: tube · season · straw · scale · mark · net · cue · wax

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tube — the underground
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. season — of the year
  7. net — after costs
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cue — a signal
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tube — a container
  17. mark — a trace
  18. scale — in music
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wax — to grow
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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