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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bound — certain
  3. press — to push
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. shower — rain
  7. mate — a partner
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tube — a container
  11. bound — obliged
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tube — the underground
  14. shower — to wash
  15. squash — to crush
  16. row — a line
  17. press — a publisher
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mate — to breed
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wax — to grow

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