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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — of a plant
  4. shower — rain
  5. object — a thing
  6. cue — for pool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — for a lock
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — of the year
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — in sport
  18. root — the cause
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. key — in music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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