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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. scale — in music
  5. pound — a weight
  6. clip — to cut
  7. race — a contest
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wax — to grow
  10. clip — a video
  11. suit — in cards
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. suit — clothes
  16. toast — bread
  17. race — humankind
  18. scale — size or range
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. suit — to fit
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wax — in the ear

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