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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. key — the most important part
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — to grow
  6. race — a contest
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. degree — temperature
  11. key — in music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. race — humankind
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. race — the arms race
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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