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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · wax · capital · drill · mouse · fine · object · land

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fine — high quality
  3. capital — money
  4. land — to come down
  5. object — an aim
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. drill — army training
  8. land — a country
  9. capital — a city
  10. press — to push
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. object — a thing
  18. drill — a practice
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mouse — for a computer

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