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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. key — in music
  3. spell — letters
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. foot — a measure
  6. key — the most important part
  7. deal — to handle
  8. branch — a division
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wax — to grow
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bowl — a dish

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