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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.

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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 · present · key · content · spring · march · can · land

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. present — a gift
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. march — the month
  11. land — a country
  12. march — music
  13. content — the amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. key — for a lock
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — a coil
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spring — the season
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — the time now
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — there
  24. content — happy

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