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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. press — to push
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pop — to visit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. pop — music
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. pop — soda
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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