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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wax — to grow
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — final
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — a song
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. key — the most important part
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — part of the head
  16. key — in music
  17. bank — for money
  18. last — finally
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — to go on
  21. bank — of a river
  22. season — in sport
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wax — for sculpting

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