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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mark — a grade
  4. lean — to bend
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lean — thin
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. press — to push
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. degree — temperature
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — a tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — from a university

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