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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rule — a law
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. capital — a city
  13. wax — to grow
  14. capital — money
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rule — government
  18. bound — certain
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. press — to push
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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