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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. spring — of water
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. club — a group
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. club — for golf
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spring — a coil
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fork — in a road
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spring — the season
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. sharp — clever

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