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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mate — to breed
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mate — a partner
  14. key — in music
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wax — to grow
  17. key — the most important part
  18. leaves — of a tree

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