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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. season — of the year
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chest — a box
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — a price
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chest — of your body
  15. press — newspapers
  16. charge — in control
  17. press — to push
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cold — an illness
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cold — not warm
  24. season — in sport

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