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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: pop · board · bear · bass · wax · spring · kid · press

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. press — to push
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pop — to visit
  16. board — a committee
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kid — child
  19. pop — music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — to grow
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spring — the season

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