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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.

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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. object — an aim
  3. pop — soda
  4. press — to push
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. object — to protest
  7. bark — to shout
  8. race — the arms race
  9. object — a thing
  10. race — a contest
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. craft — boats
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wax — to grow
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. race — humankind
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. press — newspapers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — music

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