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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 120 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — a publisher
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. press — to push
  8. swing — in golf
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. march — music
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — to play on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wax — to grow
  18. march — the month
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. swing — music

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