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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. object — a thing
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wax — to grow
  7. key — in music
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — obliged
  10. object — to protest
  11. key — the most important part
  12. object — an aim
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — certain
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. band — a music group
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bound — tied together
  22. band — a ring
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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