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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — letters
  4. key — in music
  5. swing — music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bound — tied together
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. spell — magic
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bound — certain
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pit — in a race
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spell — a short time
  24. racket — for tennis

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