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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: foot · content · can · wax · cold · press · hand · bound

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. press — a publisher
  4. can — a tin
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bound — obliged
  7. press — to push
  8. bound — tied together
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. hand — help
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — the amount
  14. bound — certain
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. can — a tin
  19. cold — an illness
  20. content — happy
  21. can — to be able to
  22. foot — a measure
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cold — not warm

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