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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. press — to push
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. key — for a lock
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. press — newspapers
  8. present — there
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. key — the most important part
  13. row — a line
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. key — in music
  16. present — a gift
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. kid — child
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kick — in football
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kick — a thrill
  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