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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. saw — the tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — to push
  12. wax — to grow
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spell — magic
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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