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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · march · net · press · wax · bass · tube · ground

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. march — the month
  4. press — a publisher
  5. march — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bass — low music
  11. tube — a container
  12. ground — crushed
  13. object — a thing
  14. net — after costs
  15. ground — a position
  16. wax — to grow
  17. object — an aim
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. object — to protest
  20. bass — the fish
  21. press — to push
  22. march — the month
  23. net — for catching
  24. ground — the earth

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