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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · press · hide · wind · spell · last · wax · wave

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. press — a publisher
  9. staff — a stick
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. last — final
  13. spell — letters
  14. staff — employees
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — to grow
  18. last — to go on
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. last — finally
  24. staff — employees

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