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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: net · wax · press · lie · land · spring · pit · tube

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — after costs
  3. press — newspapers
  4. net — in sport
  5. press — to push
  6. tube — the underground
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. net — for catching
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — a country
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. land — to come down
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tube — a container
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pit — in a race
  24. land — ground

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