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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: press · snap · cap · bass · wax · straw · mug · track

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. track — a song
  4. mug — a face
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. track — a path
  11. bass — the fish
  12. press — to push
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bass — low music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cap — a hat
  24. press — newspapers

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