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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: drill · wax · wake · lean · press · pitcher · racket · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. clip — for paper
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — army training
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — newspapers
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. press — to push
  20. drill — a practice
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wax — to grow
  23. clip — a video
  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