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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — a publisher
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. press — to push
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. press — newspapers

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