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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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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: press · mark · lash · mug · cap · bowl · rush · wax

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mug — a face
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rush — hurry
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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