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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · key · wax · scale · land · safe · court · stem

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wax — to grow
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. land — a country
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. last — to go on
  13. land — to come down
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. key — in music
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. scale — size or range
  21. land — ground
  22. court — of a king
  23. scale — in music
  24. safe — a strongbox

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