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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — part of the head
  15. press — to push
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stand — to bear
  18. pitcher — a jug

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