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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — in music
  6. spring — of water
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. board — a committee
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. board — to get on
  13. wax — to grow
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — the most important part
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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