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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: mate · bowl · saw · key · clip · wax · mine · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mate — a friend
  5. saw — the tool
  6. key — in music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mate — a partner
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lean — to bend
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. clip — to cut
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — a video

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