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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 116 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: wax · straw · present · press · pop · stand · snap · staff

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wax — to grow
  6. press — to push
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stand — to bear
  11. present — a gift
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. staff — employees
  15. present — the time now
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. snap — to click
  23. press — newspapers
  24. present — there

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