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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. plane — a tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ground — crushed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spring — a coil
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. ground — a position
  17. spell — a short time
  18. key — in music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. spell — magic
  21. ground — the earth
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spell — letters

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