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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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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 · key · mine · mate · bear · lie · kid · present

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. present — a gift
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — child
  14. present — the time now
  15. mate — to breed
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. key — in music
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. present — there

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