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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fine — high quality
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. key — in music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. spell — magic
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fine — all right
  24. spell — letters

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