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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.

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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cue — for pool
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spring — the season
  14. cue — a signal
  15. spring — of water
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rash — a series
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mine — belonging to me

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