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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mug — to rob
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mug — a cup
  9. root — of a plant
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pit — a hole
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mug — a face
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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