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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. net — after costs
  5. current — electric
  6. deal — to handle
  7. key — for a lock
  8. press — to push
  9. current — of water
  10. key — in music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wax — to grow
  16. current — happening now
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — for catching
  19. lie — to recline
  20. track — a path
  21. key — the most important part
  22. track — a song
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. net — 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