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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pound — a weight
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — to go on
  6. season — of the year
  7. last — final
  8. press — to push
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. press — newspapers
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. last — finally
  24. wax — to grow

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