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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lean — thin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. court — of a king
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — of law
  14. lean — to bend
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wax — to grow
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — the month
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. press — to push

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