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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. key — in music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rule — government
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. key — for a lock

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