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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.

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: scale · trunk · chair · bat · fall · pitcher · wax · cell

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fall — the season
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — in music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bat — the animal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — a phone
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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