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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lean — to bend
  5. net — in sport
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. press — a publisher
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rest — a break
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lean — thin
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — to push
  24. wax — in the ear

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