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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stand — to bear
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — to grow
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — goods
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stock — shares
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. tube — a container
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pitcher — a jug

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