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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 120 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: mouse · racket · wax · patient · straw · press · chest · mate

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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 — to push
  2. wax — to grow
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — a partner
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  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