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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — after costs
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rest — what's left
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rest — a break
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — for catching
  17. ball — a great time
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pop — soda
  20. rest — what's left
  21. press — newspapers
  22. net — in sport
  23. press — to push
  24. ball — a round shape

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