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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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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: pound · foot · last · ruler · bank · mug · wax · press

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wax — to grow
  3. last — to go on
  4. pound — a weight
  5. last — final
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — of a river
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. last — finally
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. press — to push
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mug — a face
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pound — to hit hard

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