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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.

Make a worksheet

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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spring — of water
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spring — the season
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fine — all right
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spring — a coil
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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