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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: game · wax · roll · scale · mouse · mine · shower · mug

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. game — a match
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — rain
  10. mine — for digging
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mug — a face
  15. scale — in music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. roll — a list
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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