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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. suit — clothes
  3. field — farmland
  4. key — for a lock
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spring — the season
  10. suit — to fit
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. field — for sport
  14. shower — rain
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. suit — in cards
  17. key — the most important part
  18. spring — of water
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. key — in music
  24. wax — in the ear

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