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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fall — to drop
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — to grow
  15. file — a document
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a tool
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. file — a line of people
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pound — a weight
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pound — to hit hard

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