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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fall — the season
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. press — to push
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. press — newspapers
  13. present — a gift
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tube — the underground
  17. present — the time now
  18. press — a publisher
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cap — a lid
  22. present — there
  23. tube — a container
  24. cap — of ice

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