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

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. press — newspapers
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spell — a short time
  8. press — to push
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. spell — magic
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a document
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pass — a permit
  17. season — of the year
  18. file — a tool

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