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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — to push
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pop — music
  10. track — a song
  11. dip — to sink
  12. season — in sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pop — to visit
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. season — of the year
  21. fall — the season
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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