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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · mine · chair · cabinet · press · content · wax · race

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to sink
  3. race — a contest
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chair — a leader
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. content — the amount
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mine — for digging
  20. race — the arms race
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — to grow
  23. race — humankind
  24. chair — a professorship

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