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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wax — to grow
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. swing — music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pop — soda
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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