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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.

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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: band · cap · wax · stem · hand · snap · press · squash

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cap — of ice
  5. snap — to click
  6. band — a music group
  7. hand — in cards
  8. press — to push
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. band — a ring
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. press — a publisher
  24. hand — help

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