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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 116 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
468
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 · hand · pitch · straw · press · object · stem · court

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. court — for sport
  9. object — an aim
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wax — to grow
  18. object — to protest
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. hand — help
  24. object — a thing

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