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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. press — to push
  13. content — the amount
  14. bear — the animal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mine — for digging
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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