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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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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: roll · key · patient · season · game · wax · staff · deal

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. roll — a list
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — employees
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wax — to grow
  9. game — wild animals
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. key — for a lock
  13. season — of the year
  14. staff — employees
  15. key — in music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. game — a match
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. season — in sport
  24. roll — on a roll

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