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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: wax · face · stem · press · pop · leaves · bound · roll

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bound — obliged
  10. roll — a list
  11. pop — soda
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. press — newspapers
  16. roll — a cake
  17. face — to confront
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. wax — to grow
  21. press — to push
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pop — music
  24. stem — to come from

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