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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ground — a position
  5. club — for golf
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — in music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cap — a hat
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. straw — a straw man

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