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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mate — to breed
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wax — to grow
  9. row — a line
  10. mate — a friend
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bulb — for light
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — rain
  22. row — to paddle
  23. press — newspapers
  24. row — a quarrel

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