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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wax — to grow
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pop — soda
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. key — for a lock
  12. face — to confront
  13. pop — music
  14. ground — the earth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. key — in music
  24. pop — to visit

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