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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rock — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. row — to paddle
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. press — to push
  12. can — a tin
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. net — for catching
  20. can — to be able to
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. net — after costs

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