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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bound — tied together
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — part of the head
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wax — to grow
  7. key — in music
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bound — certain
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — for sport
  15. face — to confront
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lean — thin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — a subject
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bound — obliged

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