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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rock — a stone
  6. perch — the fish
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rock — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — to crush
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. press — a publisher
  14. band — a ring
  15. squash — the sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — to push
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. band — a music group
  21. press — newspapers
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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