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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stock — goods
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. root — the cause
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stock — shares
  9. bat — the animal
  10. track — a path
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. snap — to click
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. root — of a word
  16. press — to push
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mark — to pay attention

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