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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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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: sharp · rest · mug · wave · tear · court · tube · press

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tear — to rip
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — a face
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — of a king
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. court — of law
  15. mug — a cup
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. press — to push
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. tube — a container

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