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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. key — the most important part
  6. staff — a stick
  7. land — a country
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. staff — employees
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. key — in music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — to come down
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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