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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 120 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. press — to push
  3. spell — magic
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — letters
  9. mark — a trace
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. can — a tin
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wind — moving air
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — a short time

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