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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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 — the most important part
  2. object — a thing
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stand — to bear
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wax — to grow
  11. key — in music
  12. fine — all right
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  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