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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: rash · degree · chest · chair · press · file · wax · mug

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mug — to rob
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rash — a series
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mug — a cup
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wax — to grow
  14. file — a document
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. degree — temperature
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mug — a face

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