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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. key — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. key — for a lock
  8. clip — a video
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rock — music
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. march — the month
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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