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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. face — to confront
  6. current — happening now
  7. net — for catching
  8. face — part of the head
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bank — of a river
  15. current — electric
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bank — for money
  18. face — to point toward
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. current — of water
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bank — for money
  24. clip — to cut

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