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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wax — to grow
  5. tube — a container
  6. press — newspapers
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. spring — of water
  10. hand — in cards
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. spring — the season
  14. drill — army training
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. press — to push
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rock — music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pound — for dogs

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