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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mark — a trace
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fine — all right
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — crushed
  17. press — to push
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ground — a position
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fine — high quality
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. press — newspapers

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