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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. present — there
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. firm — a company
  7. spring — a coil
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. spring — the season
  11. key — in music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. key — for a lock
  14. present — the time now
  15. firm — decided
  16. present — a gift
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. roll — a cake
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spring — of water

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