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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: cell · key · can · face · press · wax · season · ground

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. can — to be able to
  3. face — to confront
  4. press — a publisher
  5. can — a tin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cell — a phone
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — to push
  16. cell — in biology
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — of the year
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ground — crushed
  22. season — in sport
  23. key — in music
  24. face — to point toward

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