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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. file — a document
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stock — goods
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mate — to breed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. file — a tool
  13. lean — thin
  14. spring — the season
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ground — a position
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spring — of water
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stock — shares
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stock — a soup base

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