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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — to bend
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — rain
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. key — for a lock
  13. press — a publisher
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. hand — help
  16. lean — thin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. key — the most important part
  19. sharp — clever
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. press — to push
  24. key — in music

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