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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: scale · pitcher · branch · race · present · wax · pop · straw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pop — to visit
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. scale — size or range
  9. present — a gift
  10. scale — in music
  11. present — there
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. present — the time now
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. race — a contest
  17. pop — soda
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pop — music
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. race — the arms race

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