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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bass — low music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. press — a publisher
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bass — the fish

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