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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 120 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: board · mate · press · content · bulb · wax · march · pit

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. mate — to breed
  2. press — a publisher
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — in a race
  5. march — music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mate — a partner
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. content — happy
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mate — a friend
  16. board — a committee
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bulb — for light
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — for light
  21. press — newspapers
  22. content — the amount
  23. press — to push
  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