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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — obliged
  6. press — to push
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. staff — employees
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bound — certain
  14. bear — the animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. press — a publisher
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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