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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. charge — a price
  8. wake — a trail
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — to grow
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — to push
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. charge — in control
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. kid — child
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. snap — to click
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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