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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: wax · stem · press · rule · chair · ball

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. 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. stem — of a plant
  2. ball — a great time
  3. press — to push
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rule — a law
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ball — a dance
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. 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