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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. last — finally
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. last — to go on
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. march — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. last — final
  21. press — to push
  22. ground — a position
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lean — thin

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