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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
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: ball · tube · wax · hand · game · press · season · track

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. press — to push
  3. ball — a great time
  4. press — a publisher
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — a path
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. track — a song
  14. tube — the underground
  15. track — to keep track
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hand — help
  19. tube — a container
  20. season — in sport
  21. press — newspapers
  22. season — of the year
  23. game — a match
  24. hand — part of the body

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