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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: press · row · patient · lie · pound · straw · court · wax

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. press — newspapers
  4. row — a line
  5. lie — to recline
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. court — of law
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pound — a weight
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. press — to push
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wax — in the ear

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