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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rock — a stone
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fall — the season
  10. key — in music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spring — of water
  15. club — for golf
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rock — music
  18. club — a group
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fall — to drop
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fall — to drop

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