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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. press — to push
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. track — a song
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. deal — to handle
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bulb — for light
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bulb — for light

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