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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. club — for golf
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wax — to grow
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fall — to drop
  14. snap — to click
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fall — the season
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. fall — to drop
  20. net — in sport
  21. club — a group
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. roll — a list

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