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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 120 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: chest · staff · racket · press · club · wax

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — a group
  3. staff — employees
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. press — newspapers
  9. staff — employees
  10. wax — to grow
  11. staff — a stick
  12. press — a publisher
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. press — to push
  18. chest — a box

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