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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · mouse · object · wax · plane · ground · game · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — to grow
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. game — a match
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. press — to push
  19. game — wild animals
  20. object — an aim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. press — newspapers

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