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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spring — of water
  3. march — the month
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. march — music
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wax — to grow
  9. firm — steady
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tube — the underground
  12. firm — decided
  13. key — for a lock
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. march — the month
  16. chip — for betting
  17. spring — the season
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tube — a container

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