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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 116 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 water is too ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. field — farmland
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — a subject
  11. rash — a series
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. file — a tool
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — for sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. file — a document
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bowl — a dish
  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