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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. can — a tin
  5. kick — in football
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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