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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. capital — money
  4. press — to push
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. saw — the tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lean — thin
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — low music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chest — a box

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