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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. press — to push
  4. mug — a face
  5. press — a publisher
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. squash — the sport
  9. press — newspapers
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. present — a gift
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — of law
  16. present — there
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mug — a cup
  21. present — the time now
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. squash — the vegetable

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