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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · hand · date · bass · wax · bear · press · chair

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hand — help
  3. bass — low music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — to push
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. press — newspapers
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bass — the fish
  16. date — the fruit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hand — in cards

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