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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pit — in a race
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. track — a song
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — newspapers
  12. track — a path
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pit — a hole
  21. press — to push
  22. wake — a trail
  23. track — to keep track
  24. coach — a trainer

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