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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · straw · rush · safe · wax · net · plane · current

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — after costs
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. press — to push
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. press — a publisher
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. net — in sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. net — for catching
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wax — to grow
  21. plane — a tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. current — electric

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