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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 116 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: cue · race · swing · press · content · wax · pitcher · trunk

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — music
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cue — for pool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. press — to push
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. swing — in golf
  14. content — happy
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cue — a hint
  18. content — the amount
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — to grow
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cue — a signal
  24. press — a publisher

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