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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. degree — temperature
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. track — a path
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. track — a song
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. land — ground
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pass — a permit
  16. season — in sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. press — a publisher
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. press — to push

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