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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rash — a series
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wake — a trail
  9. press — to push
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. spring — the season
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lean — thin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spring — of water
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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