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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — a publisher
  9. kick — in football
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. season — of the year
  17. last — finally
  18. wax — to grow
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lean — to bend
  21. season — in sport
  22. last — final
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lean — thin

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