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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. race — a contest
  11. degree — temperature
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. press — a publisher
  15. court — for sport
  16. stand — to bear
  17. court — of law
  18. press — to push
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stem — to come from
  21. degree — an amount
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wax — to grow

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