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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: cabinet · kid · net · press · wax · mine · ruler · tube

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — after costs
  10. tube — a container
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. kid — child
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — an explosive

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