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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bound — obliged
  9. deal — to handle
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. staff — employees
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bound — certain
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. press — to push
  24. pit — in a race

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