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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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Word bank
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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. season — of the year
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — of water
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. key — in music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. season — in sport
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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