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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pop — soda
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. field — farmland
  5. pop — to visit
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pop — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rock — music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rock — a stone
  19. plane — a tool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. ball — a great time
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. ball — a dance

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