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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — to breed
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pound — a weight
  14. press — a publisher
  15. clip — a video
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pound — for dogs

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