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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. club — a group
  7. root — of a word
  8. dip — to sink
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. club — for golf
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wind — moving air
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. root — of a plant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wind — moving air
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. root — the cause
  24. key — in music

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