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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: racket · season · lean · wax · press · ruler · content · deal

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lean — to bend
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — to handle
  7. press — newspapers
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. lean — thin
  10. content — the amount
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. season — in sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. season — of the year
  19. press — to push
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. content — happy

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