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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. press — a publisher
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. press — newspapers
  15. content — happy
  16. press — to push
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — for catching
  24. mark — a grade

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