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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: wax · leaves · fan · press · ground · mug · mine · fall

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mug — a face
  6. wax — to grow
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fall — the season
  10. press — to push
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wax — for sculpting

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