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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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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. press — to push
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — hurry
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mug — a face

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