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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: bay · cabinet · bark · press · capital · chair · mate · wax

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. capital — a city
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. capital — money
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mate — a friend

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