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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wax — to grow
  4. charge — a price
  5. band — a music group
  6. press — newspapers
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — of ice
  11. scale — size or range
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cap — a hat
  14. saw — the tool
  15. charge — in control
  16. scale — in music
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. band — a ring
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wax — in the ear

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