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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ground — the earth
  4. swing — to play on
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ground — crushed
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. press — a publisher
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. press — newspapers
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. swing — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. press — to push
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ground — a position
  24. cabinet — ministers

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