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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 · spring · stand · cue · key · fan · land · degree

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cue — a hint
  3. spring — of water
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — in music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. land — ground
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spring — the season
  17. cue — for pool
  18. land — a country
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. degree — from a university
  24. land — to come down

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