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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rule — government
  3. march — music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rule — a law
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — for money
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fine — all right
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. march — the month
  14. press — a publisher
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fine — high quality
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bank — of a river

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