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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — to grow
  7. row — a line
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. press — newspapers
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. press — to push
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. row — to paddle
  24. coach — a trainer

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