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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wax — to grow
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. key — the most important part
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. drill — army training
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. key — in music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mug — a face
  13. stem — to come from
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. press — to push
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mug — a cup
  19. shower — rain
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mug — to rob
  22. shower — to wash
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stem — of a plant

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