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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: press · chest · pitcher · season · nail · bay · lie · wax

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. press — a publisher
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lie — to recline
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. season — of the year
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. press — to push
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chest — a box
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pitcher — a jug

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