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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ground — crushed
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. key — for a lock
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. race — humankind
  9. ground — a position
  10. wax — to grow
  11. key — in music
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fork — in a road
  14. race — a contest
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. leaves — lets stay

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