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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. current — electric
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. press — a publisher
  6. present — there
  7. object — a thing
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. object — an aim
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — to push
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mark — a grade
  16. present — the time now
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rest — what's left
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rest — a break
  24. object — to protest

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