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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. firm — decided
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — a friend
  7. swing — in golf
  8. press — to push
  9. mate — to breed
  10. file — a tool
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. firm — steady
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. file — a line of people
  17. firm — a company
  18. staff — a stick
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — employees
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mate — a partner
  23. press — newspapers
  24. file — a document

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