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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. present — there
  5. lean — thin
  6. band — a ring
  7. fall — to drop
  8. press — to push
  9. fall — the season
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. present — a gift
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. press — a publisher
  17. band — a music group
  18. present — the time now
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — newspapers
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. band — a rubber band

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