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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: racket · band · wax · bear · arm · press · bay · rush

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. band — a ring
  15. bear — the animal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. band — a music group
  23. rush — hurry
  24. press — to push

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