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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pop — music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. clip — a video
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rock — music
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ball — a great time
  22. key — in music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. clip — for paper

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