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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. key — in music
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — to drop
  9. key — the most important part
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. spring — the season
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wax — to grow
  15. capital — money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. capital — a city
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. key — for a lock
  23. roll — a cake
  24. capital — a big letter

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