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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: wind · bay · key · season · wax · face · spring · rash

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spring — of water
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — a series
  11. wax — to grow
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. season — in sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — to turn a key

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