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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. ball — a dance
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. press — to push
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. land — ground
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chip — to eat
  16. press — newspapers
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lean — to bend
  21. land — a country
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chip — for betting
  24. calf — a young animal

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