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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. club — for golf
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bear — the animal
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. staff — employees
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. clip — to cut
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. deal — to handle
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — a video
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wax — to grow
  19. club — a group
  20. bear — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. key — in music
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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