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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. ground — the earth
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rush — hurry
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pop — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. tear — from crying
  14. key — in music
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. tear — from crying
  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