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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. clip — a video
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. press — to push
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — to bend
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. press — newspapers
  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