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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: tear · leaves · nail · wax · band · spell · press · foot

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. foot — a measure
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. band — a ring
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tear — from crying
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. band — a music group
  19. press — newspapers
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — to push
  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