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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. present — the time now
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. firm — decided
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — newspapers
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. press — to push
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. present — there
  21. clip — a video
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. present — a gift
  24. wax — in the ear

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