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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 piece is in a major ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. land — a country
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. game — a match
  13. land — to come down
  14. game — wild animals
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spring — of water
  17. dip — to sink
  18. spring — the season
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. land — ground
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wax — for sculpting

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