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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: last · track · rest · arm · bear · press · wax · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — a song
  5. rest — a break
  6. bear — the animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — finally
  10. press — newspapers
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — a path
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. rest — what's left
  20. last — final
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. press — a publisher

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