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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 · cold · field · saw · bay · ruler · calf · wax

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cold — not warm
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cold — an illness
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wax — to grow
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. saw — the tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. field — for sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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