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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — for catching
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — clever
  6. net — in sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. clip — a video
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. net — after costs
  23. bulb — for light
  24. clip — to cut

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