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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: press · roll · wax · safe · rock · clip · mouse · drill

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. drill — army training
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. drill — the tool
  20. press — a publisher
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rock — a stone
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mouse — the animal

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