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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: pit · clip · wax · press · fine · bear · band · bulb

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. clip — a video
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pit — a hole
  12. press — to push
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. band — a music group
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fine — all right
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bulb — for light

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