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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — newspapers
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. march — music
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wax — to grow
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. bear — the animal
  22. press — to push
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wind — moving air

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