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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. board — a committee
  9. clip — a video
  10. press — to push
  11. stand — to bear
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. clip — to cut
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. board — to get on
  20. wax — to grow
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. charge — electricity
  23. press — a publisher
  24. clip — for paper

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