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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: club · rush · press · pitch · lie · wax · stock · mine

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. press — a publisher
  17. club — a group
  18. stock — shares
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. press — to push
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitch — a sports field

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