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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — of a river
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bank — for money
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — thin
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pop — music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — soda
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to rest against
  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