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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. swing — to play on
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bass — the fish
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — low music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. key — in music
  10. swing — music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rule — government
  14. chair — a leader
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rule — a law
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. key — the most important part
  24. chair — a professorship

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