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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bound — certain
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spring — the season
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spring — a coil
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spring — of water
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. key — the most important part
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. key — for a lock
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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