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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bulb — for light
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. game — a match
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. press — to push
  15. wax — to grow
  16. press — a publisher
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lean — thin
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — child
  23. bulb — for light
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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