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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. press — newspapers
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tear — from crying
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tear — from crying
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. court — of a king
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. press — to push
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tear — to rip

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