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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — the season
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. key — for a lock
  15. firm — steady
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stand — to bear
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bear — the animal

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