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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a dance
  5. press — a publisher
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. row — to paddle
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. row — a line
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cap — of ice
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — in cards
  19. craft — a skill
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. craft — boats
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hand — help
  24. craft — a handicraft

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