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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stem — to come from
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — of the year
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. season — in sport
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wind — moving air
  18. key — the most important part
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bowl — to roll

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