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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wax — to grow
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — a permit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. snap — to click
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — shares
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. stock — goods
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. press — newspapers
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. prune — to trim
  24. press — to push

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