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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. court — of a king
  3. press — a publisher
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wax — to grow
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. object — a thing
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. object — an aim
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. court — for sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stem — a stem cell

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