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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bound — certain
  11. capital — a city
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wax — to grow
  16. capital — money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. drill — army training
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rest — a break
  24. drill — the tool

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