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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.

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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. roll — a cake
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. key — for a lock
  8. file — a document
  9. bank — for money
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. roll — a list
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a line of people
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. key — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. file — a tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. bank — of a river

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