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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. net — in sport
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. net — after costs
  10. wax — to grow
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lean — to bend
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. key — in music
  16. branch — a division
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lean — thin
  19. key — the most important part
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — for catching
  24. degree — from a university

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