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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. shower — to wash
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — farmland
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wax — to grow
  12. field — for sport
  13. deal — to handle
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. field — a subject
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. game — a match
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wax — for sculpting

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