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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 · press · mark · cabinet · net · squash · tear · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wax — to grow
  4. net — in sport
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rest — what's left
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mark — a trace
  18. net — for catching
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mark — a grade
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. net — after costs

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