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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — temperature
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. degree — an amount
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fall — the season
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the fish
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. plane — a tool
  23. press — to push
  24. bass — the instrument

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