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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wax — to grow
  4. board — a committee
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. press — to push
  9. board — to get on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bear — the animal
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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