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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. date — the fruit
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. spring — of water
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. key — in music
  17. net — in sport
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. spring — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bowl — a football final

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