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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: ground · pitcher · drill · ruler · season · band · scale · wax

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. drill — army training
  3. wax — to grow
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. scale — in music
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ground — a position
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. season — in sport
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. drill — the tool

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