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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. key — in music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — wild animals
  12. press — to push
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. firm — decided
  18. game — a match
  19. deal — to handle
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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