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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. drill — a practice
  12. present — the time now
  13. scale — in music
  14. drill — army training
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. press — a publisher
  17. present — there
  18. sharp — clever
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. present — a gift
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. nail — on a finger
  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