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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — to grow
  3. press — newspapers
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stand — to bear
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. press — to push
  20. net — for catching
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bark — of a tree

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