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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: row · snap · scale · safe · bass · wax · stick · chair

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bass — the fish
  6. snap — to click
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. scale — in music
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wax — to grow
  16. row — a line
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — low music
  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