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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. degree — an amount
  3. object — to protest
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. press — newspapers
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. press — to push
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wave — of the sea

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