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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wax — to grow
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bore — to drill
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pass — a permit
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. cell — a phone
  24. leaves — lets stay

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