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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
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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: wax · cabinet · scale · rest · mate · straw · shower · tube

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mate — a partner
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rest — a break
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. scale — in music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. shower — rain
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mate — to breed

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