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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. press — to push
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — to grow
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pop — music
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — a publisher
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pop — soda
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wake — a trail
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pop — to visit
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wake — before a funeral

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