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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. spring — of water
  3. press — newspapers
  4. clip — to cut
  5. press — to push
  6. lie — to recline
  7. snap — to click
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — a video
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wax — to grow
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — the season
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wax — in the ear

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