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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. press — newspapers
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. face — to confront
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — to point toward
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — tied together
  9. press — to push
  10. file — a tool
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. press — a publisher
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. face — part of the head
  18. file — a line of people
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. file — a document
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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