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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. press — to push
  5. net — in sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wax — to grow
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. stand — to bear
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. net — for catching
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. press — newspapers
  21. track — a song
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rash — a series
  24. tube — in a tire

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