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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. craft — a skill
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. root — the cause
  9. press — a publisher
  10. row — to paddle
  11. craft — boats
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tear — to rip
  14. root — of a word
  15. press — newspapers
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. row — a line
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wax — to grow
  22. spell — letters
  23. root — of a plant
  24. hide — animal skin

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