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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: wax · press · craft · stick · bulb · patient · can · hand

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. hand — help
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. craft — boats
  16. hand — in cards
  17. press — newspapers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. press — to push
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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