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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — newspapers
  9. degree — an amount
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chest — of your body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. shower — rain
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. press — a publisher
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. press — to push
  24. lie — an untruth

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