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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fall — to drop
  12. press — a publisher
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. net — after costs
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. content — happy
  17. bat — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. net — for catching
  24. fall — the season

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