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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — a series
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — in music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bore — to tire
  18. press — newspapers
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — to push
  22. spring — of water
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rash — on the skin

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