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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: wax · rule · stick · pound · bulb · march · press · temple

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. march — music
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rule — a law
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. march — the month
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. march — the month

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