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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.

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: mouse · key · spring · wax · season · bass · ground · wound

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. key — in music
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — of the year
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ground — a position
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bass — low music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. season — in sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. ground — the earth

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