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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wax — to grow
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — the most important part
  10. season — in sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. key — in music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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