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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hand — help
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bulb — for light
  7. object — to protest
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mate — a partner
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. dip — to sink
  15. object — an aim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bulb — for light
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. object — a thing
  24. bulb — of a plant

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