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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — magic
  4. bound — tied together
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mate — a friend
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bound — obliged
  10. root — of a word
  11. press — to push
  12. root — of a plant
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bound — certain
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. wax — to grow
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mate — to breed
  23. root — the cause
  24. band — a music group

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