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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bound — certain
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bound — obliged
  12. squash — the sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. key — the most important part
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wax — to grow
  18. clip — a video
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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