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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: wax · degree · press · mate · current · mine · snap · plane

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. current — happening now
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mate — a partner
  7. degree — temperature
  8. snap — to click
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mate — a friend
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — an amount
  14. plane — a tool
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. current — electric
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mate — to breed
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. press — a publisher

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