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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. present — a gift
  8. band — a ring
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — after costs
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — there
  15. press — a publisher
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pass — a permit
  18. press — to push
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. branch — a division
  21. press — newspapers
  22. court — for sport
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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