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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. file — a document
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. press — a publisher
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. file — a line of people
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lean — thin
  14. branch — a division
  15. march — music
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lean — to bend
  18. file — a tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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