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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. press — newspapers
  5. swing — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. snap — to click
  14. press — to push
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wax — to grow
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cue — a signal

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