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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
468
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: key · wax · spring · kick · mug · field · stick · clip

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. field — farmland
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mug — a face
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. field — a subject
  19. key — in music
  20. field — for sport
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — to rob

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