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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wax — to grow
  13. press — a publisher
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. press — to push
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lean — to bend

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