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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: wax · bear · rule · spring · key · last · file · present

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. file — a line of people
  5. key — in music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rule — a law
  8. present — there
  9. file — a tool
  10. last — finally
  11. spring — of water
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. last — final
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. present — a gift
  19. file — a document
  20. spring — the season
  21. present — the time now
  22. last — to go on
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wax — in the ear

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