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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ball — a great time
  5. key — the most important part
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a dance
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. foot — a measure
  13. land — a country
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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