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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — to grow
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pop — to visit
  7. land — ground
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. press — to push
  10. land — a country
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. swing — to play on
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. press — newspapers
  20. land — to come down
  21. swing — in golf
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pop — soda
  24. swing — music

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