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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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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: bear · bank · wax · court · pass · press · straw · degree

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bank — of a river
  5. degree — from a university
  6. court — of law
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bear — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wax — to grow
  18. press — to push
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bank — for money
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bank — for money

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