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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 · chest · hand · wax · swing · deal · foot · shower

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chest — a box
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hand — in cards
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. press — to push
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. hand — help
  21. chest — of your body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. swing — music
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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