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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — help
  12. last — final
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hand — in cards
  17. press — newspapers
  18. last — finally
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mine — for digging
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. last — to go on
  24. wave — with your hand

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