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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. press — a publisher
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rule — government
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. key — in music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rule — a law
  19. pit — a hole
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — to push
  23. deal — to handle
  24. key — for a lock

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