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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. craft — a skill
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. spring — a coil
  11. band — a music group
  12. spell — magic
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. spring — the season
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — the most important part
  21. craft — boats
  22. spring — of water
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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