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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. current — electric
  3. scale — size or range
  4. press — a publisher
  5. scale — in music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cell — a phone
  11. field — a subject
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. press — to push
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mark — a trace
  20. current — happening now
  21. field — farmland
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. field — for sport
  24. current — of water

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