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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: bulb · snap · wound · wax · chest · rock · swing · press

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. chest — of your body
  5. swing — music
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rock — music
  9. press — to push
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chest — a box
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wound — an injury
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rock — a stone
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — in the ear

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