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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — in sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. press — to push
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. field — farmland
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rule — government
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wax — to grow
  16. field — for sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. net — after costs
  20. rule — a law
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. field — a subject
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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