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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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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. suit — clothes
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — moving air
  10. suit — in cards
  11. key — the most important part
  12. staff — employees
  13. key — in music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — of the year
  18. staff — a stick
  19. drill — army training
  20. wax — to grow
  21. season — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — to fit
  24. chair — a professorship

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