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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rest — a break
  7. wax — to grow
  8. swing — to play on
  9. key — the most important part
  10. swing — in golf
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. dip — to sink
  13. game — wild animals
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. game — a match
  21. swing — music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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