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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — happy
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. content — the amount
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wax — to grow

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