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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
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: wake · wax · ground · present · key · spring · chest · bear

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. chest — a box
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. spring — the season
  10. present — the time now
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. ground — crushed

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