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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. press — a publisher
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. branch — a division
  7. bulb — for light
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chip — to eat
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chip — for betting
  15. net — in sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — for catching
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. net — after costs
  24. wax — to grow

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