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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. swing — music
  3. press — to push
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — letters
  6. swing — to play on
  7. object — an aim
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spell — magic
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. object — a thing
  20. branch — a division
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spell — a short time
  24. branch — of a tree

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