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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 · wake · press · mug · mouse · fall · bass · tear

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. press — to push
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fall — the season
  7. mug — a face
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bass — low music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fall — to drop

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