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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. key — in music
  10. root — of a word
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wax — to grow
  15. key — the most important part
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. root — the cause
  21. spring — a coil
  22. content — happy
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. calf — of the leg

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