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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.

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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: patient · lie · wax · press · straw · spring · fork · snap

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — to push
  10. snap — to click
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. spring — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — of water
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fork — in a road
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. patient — a sick person

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