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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — a song
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. press — newspapers
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lean — thin
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. drill — a practice
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lean — to bend
  15. press — to push
  16. drill — army training
  17. track — a path
  18. wind — moving air
  19. drill — the tool
  20. press — a publisher
  21. track — to keep track
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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