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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — to push
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — an injury
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pop — to visit
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pop — soda
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pop — music

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