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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — the fish
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. press — to push
  7. bass — low music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. press — a publisher
  11. suit — to fit
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mate — to breed
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. suit — in cards

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