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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 · ball · arm · cue · bound · cold · wax · board

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ball — a great time
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. scale — in music
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. board — to get on
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. board — a committee
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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