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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. squash — to crush
  5. press — newspapers
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — to shout
  10. staff — employees
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. squash — the sport
  18. press — a publisher
  19. firm — steady
  20. can — a tin
  21. firm — a company
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. press — to push
  24. firm — decided

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