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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — to cut
  4. squash — the sport
  5. press — to push
  6. roll — a cake
  7. clip — a video
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wax — to grow
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. press — newspapers

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