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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. court — of law
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stand — to bear
  6. swing — music
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — to keep track
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. swing — to play on
  11. court — for sport
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wax — to grow
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fork — in a road
  18. swing — in golf
  19. track — a path
  20. court — of a king
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. track — a song
  23. branch — a division
  24. fork — to eat with

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