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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. press — to push
  4. lean — thin
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rest — a break
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lean — to bend
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wax — to grow
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — a publisher

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