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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 116 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: pound · wax · bay · press · kid · coach · wake · rash

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — to grow
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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