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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. net — after costs
  12. key — for a lock
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rash — a series
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wax — to grow
  19. key — in music
  20. net — for catching
  21. spring — the season
  22. season — of the year
  23. net — in sport
  24. wax — in the ear

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