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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: bound · lash · press · bark · patient · wax · pit · kid

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. bark — to shout
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pit — a hole
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — child
  23. pit — in a race
  24. patient — a sick person

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