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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. drill — army training
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. present — a gift
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. current — electric
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. press — newspapers
  15. current — happening now
  16. wax — to grow
  17. drill — a practice
  18. press — to push
  19. hand — help
  20. press — a publisher
  21. present — there
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. drill — the tool
  24. present — the time now

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