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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · wax · content · root · stick · staff · mate · bass

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. press — to push
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — a publisher
  15. root — of a plant
  16. staff — a stick
  17. root — of a word
  18. mate — a friend
  19. root — the cause
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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