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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 120 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: wax · game · ball · wake · spring · tear · face · key

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spring — the season
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spring — of water
  8. key — in music
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — part of the head
  14. tear — from crying
  15. face — to confront
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tear — to rip

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