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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.

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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: shower · wax · mouse · scale · cabinet · hand · game · plane

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — in cards
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a match
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hand — help
  24. plane — an aircraft

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