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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. press — to push
  7. track — a path
  8. press — a publisher
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. key — in music
  20. bark — to shout
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tear — from crying

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