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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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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: cap · hand · last · rock · press · chest · wax · can

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — help
  4. chest — a box
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rock — music
  8. hand — in cards
  9. last — to go on
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — final
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cap — a lid
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — finally
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. can — a tin
  21. press — to push
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — to be able to

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