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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 116 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: bank · wax · charge · tear · scale · bowl · cell · squash

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. scale — in music
  8. charge — in control
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. charge — a price
  12. tear — to rip
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — from crying
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bowl — a dish

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