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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · face · rock · chest · press · tube · roll · wax

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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 — a box
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tube — the underground
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chest — of your body
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cold — not warm
  13. press — to push
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tube — a container
  16. rock — music
  17. face — to confront
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. press — newspapers
  21. roll — a list
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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