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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bat · key · rock · trunk · wax · board · bowl · mate

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rock — music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. board — a committee
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rock — a stone
  15. key — in music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. board — to get on
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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