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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cue — for pool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. race — humankind
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mate — a partner
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. race — a contest
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ground — a position
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cue — a hint
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — crushed

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