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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. object — an aim
  3. wax — to grow
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — for sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — to point toward
  8. object — a thing
  9. field — farmland
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. object — to protest
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. press — to push
  23. prune — to trim
  24. press — newspapers

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