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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bass — low music
  4. chair — a leader
  5. kid — child
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. drill — a practice
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — to push
  15. bass — the fish
  16. press — a publisher
  17. drill — army training
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kid — to tease
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. drill — the tool

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