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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bass — the fish
  3. drill — a practice
  4. band — a ring
  5. press — a publisher
  6. drill — army training
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. bass — low music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. object — to protest
  17. drill — the tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — a tin
  20. object — a thing
  21. field — for sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. object — an aim
  24. field — a subject

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