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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — newspapers
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. season — of the year
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spring — of water
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — to grow
  17. season — in sport
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. press — to push
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. season — to add flavour

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