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

Word bank: wax · swing · fork · pit · press · rest

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wax — to grow
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rest — a break
  12. fork — in a road
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pit — a hole
  15. press — to push
  16. rest — what's left
  17. press — a publisher
  18. swing — music

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