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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mine — for digging
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cold — not warm
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rock — a stone
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. file — a document
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. file — a tool
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rock — music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wax — for sculpting

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