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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: can · bear · kid · tube · mate · press · march · wax

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. press — newspapers
  5. march — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — child
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mate — a friend

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