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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bank — of a river
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. club — for golf
  8. ground — a position
  9. key — in music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. club — a group
  13. ground — crushed
  14. toast — bread
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. bank — for money
  19. wax — to grow
  20. file — a document
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mate — a friend

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