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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bank — for money
  17. cold — an illness
  18. press — to push
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bank — for money
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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