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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. key — the most important part
  3. snap — to click
  4. wax — to grow
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. key — for a lock
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. key — in music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mine — an explosive

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