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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: net · race · press · wax · cap · lie · can · stick

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. can — a tin
  6. race — humankind
  7. can — a tin
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. press — to push
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — in sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. race — the arms race
  21. press — a publisher
  22. net — after costs
  23. press — newspapers
  24. race — a contest

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