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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. press — a publisher
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. club — for golf
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. press — to push
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for dancing
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. club — a group

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