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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. spring — of water
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — a coil
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fine — all right
  16. key — the most important part
  17. spring — the season
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mate — a partner

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