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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — to grow
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ground — crushed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stem — to come from
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ball — a dance
  13. press — to push
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ground — a position
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ground — the earth
  19. press — a publisher
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ball — a great time
  24. nail — on a finger

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