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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — newspapers
  6. shower — to wash
  7. press — to push
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. press — a publisher
  10. staff — employees
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. band — a ring
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bore — to tire
  16. shower — rain
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. band — a music group
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wax — in the ear

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