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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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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: suit · patient · press · firm · wax · bank · chest · wind

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. chest — of your body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wax — to grow
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. press — to push
  10. wind — moving air
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — of your body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bank — of a river
  19. firm — decided
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chest — a box
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. firm — steady
  24. suit — clothes

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