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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. court — of law
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. scale — in music
  7. staff — employees
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. press — to push
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. court — for sport
  21. staff — a stick
  22. court — of a king
  23. staff — employees
  24. scale — for weighing

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