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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: tube · cap · wax · patient · mug · drill · press · stem

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — a container
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. drill — army training
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cap — of ice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. press — to push
  22. mug — a face
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — newspapers

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