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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: scale · pop · mate · wax · chip · spring · wave · squash

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. spring — of water
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. spring — the season
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mate — to breed
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. wax — to grow
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. scale — in music

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