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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · ball · bear · cell · key · pit

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bear — the animal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. key — in music
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cell — a phone

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