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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. staff — employees
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wax — to grow
  10. net — for catching
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mate — to breed
  13. key — for a lock
  14. staff — employees
  15. key — in music
  16. press — to push
  17. key — the most important part
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — in sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. net — after costs
  24. staff — a stick

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