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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 124 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wax — to grow
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bore — to drill
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. press — to push
  18. bore — to tire
  19. toast — bread
  20. press — newspapers
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. present — the time now
  24. wax — for sculpting

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