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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: perch · game · wax · foot · scale · season · chest · branch

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — of your body
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — in sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — in music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. game — a match
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. branch — a division
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. season — of the year
  24. perch — the fish

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