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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: key · foot · degree · wax · jam · wound · fall · bulb

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fall — the season
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — for light
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. foot — a measure
  19. degree — from a university
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bulb — for light
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. degree — temperature

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