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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 120 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: rash · press · fan · snap · mark · can · wax · bat

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mark — a trace
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. snap — to click
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. press — a publisher

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