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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. key — the most important part
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. season — in sport
  10. land — ground
  11. spring — the season
  12. key — for a lock
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. land — to come down
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wake — a trail
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. key — in music

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