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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: press · leaves · row · club · cold · racket · wax · last

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — finally
  3. row — a line
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. last — to go on
  8. wax — to grow
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cold — not warm
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. club — a group
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. club — for golf
  21. press — to push
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. last — final

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