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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: mouse · press · tube · pop · fork · wax · kick · last

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pop — soda
  3. last — final
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — music
  7. last — to go on
  8. tube — a container
  9. kick — in football
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. press — to push
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. last — finally
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. kick — with a leg

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