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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. root — of a word
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. press — to push
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. root — of a plant
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bat — the animal
  23. root — the cause
  24. stand — for spectators

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