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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a partner
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bear — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mate — to breed
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cue — a signal

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