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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. press — to push
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. press — newspapers
  7. content — the amount
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — help
  15. press — a publisher
  16. saw — the tool
  17. content — happy
  18. saw — the 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