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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. track — a song
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. track — a path
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — for paper
  15. track — to keep track
  16. foot — a measure
  17. clip — a video
  18. press — to push
  19. clip — to cut
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. nail — for a hammer

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