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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: dip · pitcher · stick · race · press · ground · chest · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. race — humankind
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. dip — to sink
  10. race — a contest
  11. press — to push
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. press — newspapers
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chest — a box
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. race — the arms race

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