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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. press — to push
  10. chair — a leader
  11. capital — a city
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. press — a publisher
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — money

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