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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: net · wax · stick · fork · tear · racket · lean · press

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wax — to grow
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. net — for catching
  9. fork — in a road
  10. lean — to bend
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. net — in sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. press — to push
  19. net — after costs
  20. lean — thin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tear — to rip

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