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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 116 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: bat · press · wound · cold · stem · suit · mug · wax

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wax — to grow
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cold — an illness
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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