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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. field — for sport
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. board — to get on
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. board — a committee
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rash — a series
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spring — of water
  21. field — a subject
  22. press — to push
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. field — farmland

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