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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. can — a tin
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wax — to grow
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fine — all right
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. branch — a division
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. can — to be able to
  15. fine — high quality
  16. can — a tin
  17. present — a gift
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. present — there
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — for sculpting

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