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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. press — to push
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. pop — to visit
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bass — the fish
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bass — low music
  24. bowl — a football final

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