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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rule — government
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — in sport
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rule — a law
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. season — of the year
  17. snap — to click
  18. press — to push
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wind — moving air

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