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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hand — help
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. present — there
  6. can — a tin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. swing — music
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. present — the time now
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. present — a gift
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. press — a publisher
  23. swing — to play on
  24. can — to be able to

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