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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wax — to grow
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. prune — to trim
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — for light
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. degree — an amount
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. temple — side of the head

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