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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. press — newspapers
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mine — for digging
  7. deal — to handle
  8. press — to push
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. staff — employees
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. scale — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mine — belonging to me

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