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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. track — a path
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. club — a group
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for golf
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. track — to keep track

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