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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.

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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: season · wax · key · perch · pass · object · last · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wax — to grow
  4. key — the most important part
  5. object — to protest
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. last — final
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. object — a thing
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — an aim
  15. last — finally
  16. season — in sport
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. perch — the fish
  21. season — of the year
  22. key — in music
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. perch — for a bird

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