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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 120 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: wax · lash · straw · march · press · chair · arm · mouse

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. march — the month
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lash — to lash out

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