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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mate — a partner
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bank — for money
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mate — to breed
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. field — a subject
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bank — for money
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. snap — to click

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