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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wax — to grow
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. degree — an amount
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. present — the time now
  11. degree — temperature
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. present — a gift
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — to push
  18. present — there
  19. stock — shares
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bass — the fish
  24. shower — rain

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