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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 120 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: wax · staff · pass · scale · last · wound · drill · club

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. club — a group
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. staff — employees
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — to go on
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. club — for golf
  22. pass — a permit
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wax — to grow

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