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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: pit · racket · mine · press · present · object · rule · wax

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. object — a thing
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — the time now
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wax — to grow
  15. object — to protest
  16. rule — a law
  17. object — an aim
  18. press — to push
  19. rule — government
  20. mine — for digging
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pit — a hole
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. present — there

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