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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. press — to push
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. kid — child
  11. deal — to handle
  12. clip — to cut
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. press — newspapers
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. dip — to sink
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. clip — a video
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. net — after costs
  24. clip — for paper

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