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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: mark · deal · fall · arm · press · content · rush · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. press — to push
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. content — happy
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. content — the amount
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fall — to drop
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. press — a publisher
  22. deal — to handle
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rush — a thrill

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