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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cell — in biology
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cell — a phone
  8. season — in sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. press — to push
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pop — music
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. season — of the year

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