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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. key — in music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. foot — a measure
  10. swing — to play on
  11. game — wild animals
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. key — for a lock
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. key — the most important part
  19. plane — a tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — music

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