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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. scale — size or range
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. season — in sport
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. branch — a division
  18. wax — to grow
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wax — in the ear

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