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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. toast — bread
  3. current — electric
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — rain
  7. press — newspapers
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. press — to push
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. track — a path
  14. current — happening now
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. track — to keep track
  17. current — of water
  18. march — music
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. track — a song
  21. shower — to wash
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. march — the month
  24. press — a publisher

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