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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bark — to shout
  7. scale — in music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. press — newspapers
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. race — a contest
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. scale — size or range
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. race — humankind
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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