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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. key — in music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. press — to push
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. key — the most important part
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. present — a gift
  14. mark — a trace
  15. key — for a lock
  16. press — newspapers
  17. present — there
  18. band — a music group
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pop — music
  23. press — a publisher
  24. present — the time now

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