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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fall — to drop
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bank — for money
  7. press — newspapers
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. staff — employees
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fall — the season
  17. staff — employees
  18. bank — of a river
  19. file — a tool
  20. press — to push
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bank — for money
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. file — a document

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