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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. track — a path
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. key — in music
  6. track — a song
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cold — the Cold War

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