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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. march — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rush — hurry
  14. march — the month
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bear — the animal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. patient — a sick person

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