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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.

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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 · wind · content · roll · mug · chip · wake · wax

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mug — a face
  4. roll — a list
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — to push
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wind — moving air
  22. roll — a cake
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wake — a trail

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