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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 124 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chair — a leader
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. press — to push
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chair — a professorship

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