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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: press · wax · current · march · bass · cell

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bass — low music
  6. march — the month
  7. press — to push
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bass — the fish
  13. current — of water
  14. march — music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. current — electric
  17. press — newspapers
  18. march — the month

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