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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. press — to push
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. march — the month
  15. can — a tin
  16. press — newspapers
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. can — to be able to
  19. march — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. march — the month
  22. press — a publisher
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wax — in the ear

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