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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. key — for a lock
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. season — of the year
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rash — hasty
  12. key — in music
  13. swing — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. swing — to play on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rash — a series
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. swing — in golf
  24. season — in sport

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