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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 116 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. craft — boats
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. tube — the underground
  8. board — to get on
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. branch — a division
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wax — to grow
  15. board — a committee
  16. press — to push
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. craft — a skill
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. press — a publisher
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tube — a container

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