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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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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: cold · wax · staff · stand · bay · temple · press · row

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. staff — employees
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stand — to bear
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. press — to push
  11. cold — an illness
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. row — a line
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cold — not warm
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. staff — employees
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. row — to paddle

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