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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. craft — boats
  3. press — newspapers
  4. season — of the year
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fork — in a road
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. capital — money
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. swing — music
  22. craft — a skill
  23. capital — a city
  24. wax — to grow

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