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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. shower — rain
  4. wax — to grow
  5. field — farmland
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. field — for sport
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. deal — to handle
  14. field — a subject
  15. rash — hasty
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. press — to push
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rash — a series
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. press — a publisher
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ball — a dance
  24. perch — for a bird

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