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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bore — to tire
  3. scale — size or range
  4. press — to push
  5. craft — boats
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — part of the head
  8. press — a publisher
  9. face — to confront
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bore — to drill
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. face — to point toward
  16. prune — to trim
  17. scale — in music
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. press — newspapers
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bore — gave birth

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