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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ball — a great time
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ball — a dance
  10. press — newspapers
  11. scale — in music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bass — low music
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bass — the fish
  24. scale — for weighing

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