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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — in music
  3. bound — certain
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bound — tied together
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — obliged
  20. key — for a lock
  21. board — a committee
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wax — to grow

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