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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 116 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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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: rest · fork · wax · cap · press · squash · wind · bank

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bank — for money
  7. wax — to grow
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rest — a break
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — in a road
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cap — a lid

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