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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: chair · land · temple · wax · bass · can · pitcher · press

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wax — to grow
  3. can — a tin
  4. land — to come down
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — a leader

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