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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pass — a permit
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. ball — a great time
  10. press — newspapers
  11. ball — a dance
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wax — to grow
  19. press — to push
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. staff — employees
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. staff — employees

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