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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.

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 · bass · dip · tear · cell · key · press · fan

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bass — the fish
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. press — to push
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. press — a publisher
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. key — for a lock
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bass — low music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cell — in a prison

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