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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: press · wax · nail · cell · tear · content · cue · track

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cell — a phone
  4. track — a song
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cue — a hint
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — in biology
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. press — a publisher
  15. track — a path
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. press — to push
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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