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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cap — a lid
  4. plane — a tool
  5. track — a song
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — thin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cold — an illness
  12. press — to push
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. track — a path
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lash — to lash out

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