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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cabinet · rest · net · cold · face · press · staff · wax

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — to confront
  4. rest — a break
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. staff — a stick
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. cold — not warm
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. face — to point toward
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — an illness

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