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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: scale · wax · track · mate · suit · bass · cold · land

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bass — the fish
  4. suit — in cards
  5. scale — in music
  6. land — ground
  7. wax — to grow
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. suit — to fit
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — low music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. land — a country
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cold — not warm
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. track — a path
  22. mate — a friend
  23. suit — clothes
  24. wax — for sculpting

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