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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: current · march · net · season · wax · press · bore · bat

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. net — in sport
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. press — a publisher
  6. current — of water
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bore — to drill
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — newspapers
  15. march — music
  16. current — happening now
  17. season — of the year
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bat — the animal
  20. press — to push
  21. net — after costs
  22. march — the month
  23. current — electric
  24. net — for catching

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