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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — to grow
  11. deal — to handle
  12. press — to push
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spell — a short time
  16. snap — to click
  17. spell — letters
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. press — newspapers
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wax — for sculpting

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