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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. charge — in control
  4. track — a path
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — in music
  8. track — a song
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. track — to keep track
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. branch — a division
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. charge — a price
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bear — the animal

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