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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bass — the fish
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bound — certain
  8. press — a publisher
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bass — low music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bound — obliged
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — to push

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