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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. can — a tin
  5. club — a group
  6. track — a song
  7. dip — to sink
  8. track — a path
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. club — for golf
  11. can — a tin
  12. track — to keep track
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. snap — to click
  16. press — to push
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chair — a leader
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. club — for dancing
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. can — to be able to
  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