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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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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 · ground · straw · fall · key · deal · wax · toast

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. press — to push
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. press — a publisher
  20. toast — bread
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. deal — to handle

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