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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. band — a music group
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rush — hurry
  13. press — to push
  14. hand — in cards
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — to grow
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. patient — a sick person

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