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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — a line
  7. press — newspapers
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pass — a permit
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. field — a subject
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — to grow
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. branch — of a tree

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