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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. firm — decided
  4. spell — letters
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ball — a great time
  9. firm — steady
  10. spell — magic
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. key — in music
  14. hand — help
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. firm — a company
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wax — to grow
  24. spell — a short time

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