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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. charge — a price
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chair — a leader
  15. charge — in control
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — to push
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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