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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. mate — a friend
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. file — a document
  18. pound — a weight
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. branch — a division

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