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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. file — a document
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — in sport
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. press — to push
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — of the year
  23. wax — to grow
  24. arm — part of the body

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