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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: fork · squash · staff · wake · hand · wax · key · press

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fork — in a road
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — in music
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — a trail
  16. press — to push
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. hand — in cards
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. squash — to crush

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