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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · fall · bass · chest · pitch · scale · mark · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bass — low music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chest — a box
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fall — the season
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — a grade

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