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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 124 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 water is too ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cold — not warm
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. game — a match
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. press — to push
  9. cold — an illness
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. current — electric
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. root — of a word
  18. fine — all right
  19. toast — bread
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fine — high quality
  22. root — of a plant
  23. game — wild animals
  24. press — newspapers

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