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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: board · wake · rest · wax · press · pit · cell · bowl

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pit — in a race
  3. press — to push
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — to get on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rest — a break
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — a phone

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