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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. key — the most important part
  8. field — a subject
  9. key — for a lock
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. rock — music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rock — a stone

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