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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bound — certain
  5. suit — clothes
  6. tube — the underground
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wax — to grow
  12. press — newspapers
  13. suit — to fit
  14. ground — a position
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. tube — a container
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — in a tire

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