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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — of water
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fall — to drop
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spring — the season
  21. row — a line
  22. key — in music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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