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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. press — to push
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. land — a country
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. kick — in football
  6. press — a publisher
  7. object — an aim
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. press — newspapers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. land — to come down
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. object — a thing
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. land — ground
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. object — to protest
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  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