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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: bear · bat · foot · rash · wax · scale · wake · season

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. season — in sport
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. season — of the year
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wax — to grow
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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