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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. tear — to rip
  13. key — in music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — to grow
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bore — to drill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kick — in football
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. perch — the fish

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