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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's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pop — to visit
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. shower — rain
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. band — a ring
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pop — music
  20. land — a country
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pop — soda
  24. wound — an injury

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