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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — to go on
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cap — a hat
  22. press — to push
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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