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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. capital — a city
  3. current — of water
  4. net — in sport
  5. press — to push
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. press — newspapers
  11. can — a tin
  12. current — electric
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. current — happening now
  15. can — a tin
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lean — to bend
  18. net — after costs
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. net — for catching
  21. lean — thin
  22. press — a publisher
  23. can — to be able to
  24. capital — money

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