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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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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. press — to push
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kid — to tease
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pop — soda
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rash — a series
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. kid — child
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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