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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: pop · chest · press · stock · bass · saw · wax · lie

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bass — low music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. chest — a box
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stock — goods
  9. pop — music
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pop — soda
  17. press — to push
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wax — for sculpting

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