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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: mouse · last · press · snap · leaves · stock · bear · wax

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stock — shares
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — finally
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. last — final
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — to go on
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stock — goods
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — to push
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bear — the animal

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