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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lean — thin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spring — of water
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wax — in the ear

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