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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mug — a cup
  3. press — to push
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mug — to rob
  13. race — the arms race
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mug — a face
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. race — humankind
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. press — a publisher
  22. race — a contest
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. march — the month

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