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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. fall — the season
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. press — to push
  13. swing — to play on
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. snap — to click
  17. bass — low music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wax — to grow

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