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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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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: snap · race · wax · spring · kick · scale · cell · perch

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — the season
  8. cell — a phone
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spring — of water
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. race — humankind
  14. kick — in football
  15. cell — in biology
  16. snap — to click
  17. wax — to grow
  18. race — the arms race
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — a coil
  22. race — a contest
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. kick — a thrill

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