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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bound — obliged
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — to grow
  5. press — newspapers
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bound — certain
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. press — a publisher
  14. perch — the fish
  15. shower — rain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. game — a match
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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