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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: wax · straw · scale · bat · chip · pitch · calf · plane

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bat — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chip — to eat
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wax — to grow
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — in music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chip — for betting
  18. plane — a tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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