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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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 — the most important part
  2. mark — a trace
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mark — a grade
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — the fish
  8. key — in music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bound — tied together
  13. clip — for paper
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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