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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: lie · straw · land · content · wax · key · tube · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — a country
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. key — for a lock
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. content — happy
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. land — ground
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — to come down
  15. content — the amount
  16. tube — a container
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wax — to grow
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bass — low music
  24. key — in music

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